AUGUST 27, 2021 — Summertime fading, long weekend coming; nothing to do? Enjoy the great outdoors? Hop in the car and take a day trip to an overnight Defense Department discounted destination.
There are a number of Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation facilities located within a day’s drive of Fort Knox that offer leisure opportunities for the whole family. For those who want the full picture, all of the DFMWR locations can be accessed at a new Military OneSource website called “Best Kept Secrets,” found HERE.
However, for Fort Knox residents who don’t wish to peruse 28 pages of information to work out which ones you can get to in a day, keep reading.
The destinations below should take less than eight hours to reach if someone was driving 60 mph. The states that fit within that radius include all of Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, West Virginia, South Carolina, Alabama, Kansas and Tennessee. They also include Southern Wisconsin, Southern Michigan, Western Pennsylvania, Western Virginia, Western North Carolina, nearly all of Georgia, Northern Mississippi, Eastern Arkansas and Eastern Iowa.
However, in the interest of time, we’ll just focus on six of the nearest locations:
Camp Carlson Recreational Area
Location: Fort Knox, Elizabethtown, Kentucky
Phone number: 502-624-4836
Reservations: Required and accepted up to 12 months in advance for cabins (not required for tent and RV sites)
Accommodations: 53 gravel sites, unlimited tent sites, 10 cabins for rent
Amenities: Picnic area, playground
Activities: Fishing
Area things to do: The Patton Museum is located down Highway 31W from the campgrounds. The vibrant city Louisville is about 30-60 minutes north of the campgrounds with tons of exciting things to do.
Destiny Parks and Pavilions
Location: Fort Campbell, Kentucky (Clarksville, Tennessee)
Phone number: 270-798-2629
Reservations: Not accepted for RV sites/cabins and cottages reserved with first night payment as a deposit, balance paid in full at check-in
Accommodations: 44 RV sites, some tent sites
Amenities: Picnic areas
Activities: Fishing, hunting
Area things to do: Clarksville has a lovely river walk called McGregor Park Riverwalk. The home of country music, Nashville, is about 45 minutes away.
Crane Lake Greenwood Campground
Location: Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division, Crane, Indiana
Phone number: 877-628-9233
Reservations: Active duty and reservists may book one year in advance. All other eligible patrons may book six months in advance.
Accommodations: 47 RV sites, six vacation rentals (small cabins, loft cabins, bunkhouse), seven camp sites
Amenities: Beach, boat ramp and rentals, commissary, exchange, fitness center, marina, picnic area, playground
Activities: Boating, fishing, hiking
Area things to do: Besides summer amusements in Crane, nearby Sample Gates is a breathtaking architectural site that leads to the Old Crescent. There are also various parks and museums nearby, and the campsite is situated between Louisville to the south and Indianapolis to the north.
Whitaker Place Campground
Location: Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, Indiana
Phone number: 812-526-1128
Reservations: Accepted
Accommodations: 39 RV sites, unlimited tent sites
Amenities: Commissary, exchange, fitness center
Activities: Fishing, swimming
Area things to do: The area has several hiking trails, parks, and shopping in and around nearby Edinburgh and Taylorsville. There are also some prime fishing spots.
Arnold Air Force Base FamCamp
Location: Arnold Air Force Base, Tullahoma, Tennessee
Phone number: 931-454-6084
Reservations: 45 days in advance for active duty, 40 days for retirees, 30 days for Department of Defense employees and 20 for all others
Accommodations: 36 RV sites, 18 tent sites, six rental trailers, five cabins
Amenities: Beach, boat rentals, commissary, exchange, fitness center, library, marina, picnic area
Activities: Boating
Area things to do: There are wonderful hiking and walking trails throughout the area, including Machine Falls, Rutledge Falls and the Tullahoma Campaign Civil War Trail. Chattanooga is about an hour’s drive southeast of the campground.
Mid-South Cottages
Location: Naval Support Activity Mid-South, Millington, Tennessee
Phone number: 877-628-9233
Reservations: Active duty and reservists may book one year in advance. All other eligible patrons may book six months in advance.
Accommodations: 48 RV sites, 184 vacation rentals
Amenities: Air conditioning, cable TV, Free Wi-Fi, kitchen utensils, linens
Activities: Golf
Area things to do: Situated just outside of the 269 loop in Memphis, this campground provides tons of things to do in the area, whether you prefer enjoying the blues at Beale Street, visiting Sun Studio, Graceland, the Memphis Pyramid or National Civil Rights Museum, meet the 3,500+ animals that call the Memphis Zoo home, or cruising the Mississippi River in a riverboat. Another fun thing to do is take a stroll with the family and pets at Shelby Farm Park.
Whether you prefer the quiet serenity of nature at water sport locations near home or the noise and bustle of big city life further away, there’s plenty to see and do a day’s drive from Fort Knox.
Story by Eric Pilgrim
Fort Knox